A woman has been assaulted with a drill in a potentially homophobic attack in Northern Ireland.

A teenage boy was arrested after a 38-year-old woman suffered a "very serious" head injury, police said.

The victim is in a critical but stable condition in hospital after the attack, described as "barbaric" by local representatives, in County Tyrone.

A 17-year-old boy is being questioned after the incident at around 2am on Saturday morning in Railway Street in Strabane.

Police Service of Northern Ireland Detective Sergeant Brian Reid said they are looking into the possibility that the attack was homophobic and appealed to anyone with footage of a male with a cordless drill in the area at the time to contact them.

He said: "This was a brutal attack and the injuries sustained by the victim are extremely grave.

Please be aware, the above is me highlighting the problems of homophobia. Which according to the warped and prejudice thinking of Ben, thinks I must be up the arses of homosexuals for standing against homophobia.